#soap # Jonah 04 ## Title: The Heart of God ## Scripture: (Jonah 4:11) “Should I not be more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than 120,000 people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals.”” (NET) ## Observation: Jonah is upset because he knows what these people have done. They are brutal. They have harassed many nations. They have been no friends to Israel. Now, the Lord is showing them mercy. He is not okay. However, when the Lord speaks to Jonah, He refocuses Jonah to see them not for the evil they had done in the past, but who they were that day. To see them as people, not merely from their previous reputation. It is refreshing to realize this is how God sees us. He sees us as people to be loved, while also knowing all about our past. If anyone has a reason to judge us from our past, it is God. Not only was He there when we did those bad things, it was His children that we did those bad things against. However, the heart of God is precious, powerful, and amazing. Through the blood of Jesus, He has satisfied His righteous judgment and has brought us His peace. ## Application: Ask God to help you see your enemies through the eyes of God’s compassion. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for loving us the way You do.